Transcript:Tips for Choosing Tattoo Art

Find a Tattoo Artist for the Style You Want

I think when someone is thinking about getting a tattoo they should start by finding the right artist. Someone who’s work reflects what they are trying to achieve in the tattoo. There are so many styles, there’s traditional, Japanese, realism, black and gray. So I think selecting an artist that is going to have a voice that kind of goes with what you’re trying to achieve visually is the most important thing.

The internet is a huge tool, obviously everyone goes right to the internet when they start to do some research. Asking friends, other people seeing if you see a tattoo you like ask who did it and then do research on whatever studio it is, go see the place, make sure you are comfortable with them and meet the artist. I think it’s important to feel that you connect with that artist.

Consider the Tattoo Elements and Placement

Be careful about where you put it on your body, faces and hands. There’s a trend where younger people that might not even be heavily tattooed but they are putting the tattoos in places that they may regret at sometime, it may be difficult when they join the workforce.

A lot of studios have what is called flash, it’s a staple in tattooing historically, modern tattooing. The concept was that it’s a design that you can go in and get in a flash, that’s kind of how it got the name. We have lots of things, all different types of topics and most studios will. We’re mostly custom but we still have these things to kind of get the clients gears turning. If somebody says they want a dragon, we can point them in the right direction and in fact, if nothing else, we say, hey what’s the style you’re looking for. Do you like this type of thing? You are not limited to picking something right out of the book. Lettering is really popular and it can be a real challenge for tattooers, even though it seems like it’s really a simple task. One thing to keep in mind that letters shouldn’t be too small. A letter has to keep it’s shape for it to be what it is, and the smaller you make it the less apt it’s going to keep that shape.

Don't Rush Into Getting a Tattoo

Although there are means to removing a tattoo, essentially a tattoo is permanent and you need to be conscious of what you are choosing and the placement on your body because once it’s there, in theory, it’s there forever. I would think about how that is going to affect your everyday life and whether or not you are going to want it forever, because forever is a long time. If you follow these tips, you’ll be able to work with a tattoo artist to get the sketch that will work for you.

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